Well reamer



Oct. 8, 1940. AV E KRlCK .ET AL 2,217,592

WELL REAMER Filed Aug. 1, 193s 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 8, 1940 WELL BEAMER Arthur E. Kriek and William Carleton Starkey, Indianapolis, Ind., assignors to L. G. S. Devices Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application August 1,

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to well reamers, and has for its primary object the provision of a reamer from which the cutters may be readily removed.` More specifically, it is our object to hold the cutters in place by means which will be positive in action and which embody no parts that can become dislodged during operation. A further object of our invention is to employ the torque transmitted through the drill-pipe to tighten and maintain tightened the means which hold the reamer cutters in place.

In carrying out our invention in its preferred form, we provide a reamer-body having near one -end an annular series oi recesses for the reception of the reamer cutters. Each reamer cutter is mounted upon a shaft having its inner end supported in one end wall of the associated recess and its other end supported in a collar slidably mounted on the reamer body. outwardly beyond this collar, the reamer bodyhas a screw-threaded extension upon which is mounted a member engaging the collar and holding it in place. This member may be an adjacent section of drill pipe, or it may be a nut having -no other function than that of holding the collar in place. If la nut is employed, it is'preferably so arranged that the adjacent section of drill pipe abuts against it to serve, in effect, as a lobk-nut. Whether the adjacent pipe-section is used as a lock-nut or as the primary retaining means, it is tightened and maintained tightened by the torque which the drill pipe transmits.

The accompanying drawing illustrates our invention:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section on the line I-I of Fig. 2 showing the reamer and two adjacent sections of drill pipe connected thereto; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are transverse sections of the lines 2-2, 3 3, and 4-4, respectively, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of a drill pipe embodying a reamer of modified construction.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the reamer body I0 is provided near its lower end with three angularly spaced recesses II in each of which is located a reamer cutter I2. Each cutter I2 is mounted, desirably through anti-friction bearings such as roller bearings I3, upon a shaft I4. The upper end of each shaft I4 has an extension I5 of reduced diameter supported from the reamer body, preferably through the medium of a replaceable bushing I6. A replaceable thrust washer I1 may be disposed vbetween the end of each cutter I2 and the adjacent end wall of the associated recess.

If roller bearings are employed between each 1938, Serial N0. 222,340

reamer-cutter I2 and its associated shaft, I prefer to dispose the rollers within a recess in the bore of the cutter so that they will be located axially by engagement with the end walls of such recess, as shown. This arrangement prevents 5 locking of the cutter which might otherwise occur as the result of oneA or more rollers assuming a position not parallel with the cutter-axis.

The cutters I2 may have teeth of any desired type, such as spur-teeth, worm-teeth, or spiral- 10 teeth, all of which are well known in the art.

At the lower ends of the recesses II, the reamer-body I0 is reduced in diameter to provide a portion 20 upon which a collar 2l is axially slidable. The lower ends of the shafts I4 15 are supported in this collar, desirably through the medium of replaceable bushings 22.

We find it desirable to prevent rotation of the shafts I4 in the respective bushings 22 and also to prevent rotation of the bushings within the 20 collar 2l.` For this reason, the lower end of each shaft I4 is ,reduced in diameter and made of non-circular cross-section, as by flattening one side thereof in the manner indicated in Fig. 3. The hole in each of the bushings 22 is of similar shape, and each bushing is of non-circular form exteriorly as indicated in Fig. 3.

To prevent rotation of the collar 2|, which would tend to throw the shafts I4 out of parallelism withthe axis of thel reamer body, the por- 30 tion 20 of the reamei` body may be provided with grooves and the bushings 22 made of such a diameter that they extend into such grooves to serve as keys locating the collar 2| in denite angular position upon the reamer-body. In addi- 35 tion, if desired, a dowel pin 23 may be employed to locate the collar upon the reamer-body:

In the arrangement shown in Fig. l the collar 2l is held in place against the shoulder above it by a nut 25 mounted upon a screw-threaded extension 26 of the reamer body. lWhen such a nut is used, it is desirably so arranged that the section of drill-pipe 2'I below the reamer abuts against the lower face of thenut 25 to act as a lock-nut. With such an arrangement, the torque 45 transmitted through the drill-pipe tends to maintain the pipe-section 21 in firm engagement with the nut 25 and the nut 25 in rm engagement with the collar 2| In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 5 the 5D reamer-body 30 is provided with two sets of reamer cutters I2, located respectively vat the upper and lower ends of the reamer body. In this arrangement, we have shown the nuts 25 as dispensed with, and the collars 2| are held in place 55 by direct engagement with adjacent sections of drill-pipe. I use the expression section of drillpipe, to include a coupling, the drill collar, the drill-head, or in short, any portion of the Whole drill-pipe assembly which transmits the driving torque.

While the nut 25 may be dispensed with, as is shown by way of example in the arrangement of Fig. 5, it serves, when used, to hold the collar 2| and the cutters l2 in place when the reamer is removed from the drill pipe.

When it is desired to replace the cutters I2 or any of the bushings I6 and 22 or any of the thrust Washers l1, it is necessary only to remove the adjacent section of drill-pipe, and the nut 25 if such nut is used. Thereupon, the collar 2| may be slid axially oif the body portion 20, the shafts I4 moved axially outwardly until their inner ends clear the end walls of the recesses il, and the cutters and shafts can then be removed. With the cutters and shafts removed, any of "the cutters, shafts, bushings, or thrust washers can readily be replaced.

We claim as our invention:

l. In combination, a Well reamer body having at one end a portion of reduced diameter provided with screw-threads for receiving an adjacent section of the drill pipe, a collar axially slidable upon said portion of reduced diameter, a plurality of cutter-shafts extending longitudinally of said body, cutters on said shafts, each of said shafts having one end supported in said body and the other end supported in said collar, and a member mounted on said screw-threads for retaining said collar in place, the collarsupported ends of said shafts being of non-circular cross-section and said collar being provided with non-circular openings receiving such shaftends.

2. In combination, a well reamer body having at one end a portion of reduced diameter provided With screw-threads for receiving an adjacent section of the drill pipe, a collar axially slidable upon said portion of reduced diameter, a plurality of cutter-shafts extending longitudinally of said body, cutters on said shafts, each of said shafts having one end supported in said body and the other end supported in said collar, replaceable bushings on the collar-supported ends of said shafts, said bushings being seated in part in said collar and in part in said body, and a member mounted on said screw-threads for retaining said collar in place.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition that the collar-supported ends of said shafts are of non-circular cross-section, said bushings being provided with non-circular openings receiving such shaft-ends.

4. In combination, a well reamer body having at one end a portion of reduced diameter provided With .screw-threads for receiving an adjacent section of the drill pipe, a collar axially slidable upon said portion of reduced diameter, a plurality of cutter-shafts extending longitudinally of said body, cutters on said shafts, each of said shafts having one end supported in said body and the other end supported in said co1- lar, replaceable bushings on the collar-supported ends of said shafts, said bushings being seated in part in said collar and in part in said body, and means for retaining said collar in place on said reamer body.

ARTHUR E. KRICK. WILLIAM CARLETON STARKEY. 

